Road to Ruin
by Madison Dyann
Summary: Joanna has somehow managed to survive the end of the world, though not unharmed. After finding a small number of her fractured family after the fall of the prison, Joanna follows Rick and the others to Terminus in search of sanctuary. [end of season 3/season 4]
1. Chapter 1

Joanna had yet to speak as they jumped the fence into Terminus. That night had been rough for all of them and she just wanted to forget it. To lock it away in the corner of her mind with all the other horrible things and move on. Unfortunately, that corner was becoming a bit too crowded nowadays. But she was reserved to worrying about the overflow later.

Before the world had ended, Joanna was a 22 year old college student. Now, she wasn't sure what she was. She was a little older and there was less weight on her stocky frame. Her brown skin was constantly covered in dirt, and occasionally dotted in blood. And above all, Jonanna was tired. And a bit cold. She had decided to ditch her jacket since it was covered in blood and posed too much as a reminded of what she had done, of what had been done to her.

Her neck was black and blue and the outline of hands were visible when she looked herself over in the window of the abandoned truck before they moved on. Her lip was busted and the cut across her cheekbone had reopened. In the day and half since the attack, Joanna had redone her hair. First, she cut off the tangled length until her hair reached to just above her chin. She used her hands to comb what was left. With the tangled mess gone, Joanna felt lighter.

The quiet air was tense as she followed Rick over the fence with nothing more than a handgun with three bullets and the small knife she had hidden in her boot. Carl, Michonne and Daryl followed behind them. From their position the small cluster of brick building surrounded by a ring of railroad tracks looked abandoned. But they proceeded with caution anyways. With Rick in the lead as always, they jogged to the nearest door and pulled it open.

The first thing they were met with was the voice. A woman's voice repeating the same things the signs had read echoed throughout the large warehouse. "Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive." The owner was a small grey haired lady sitting in front of a set of radio equipment. Above her hanged a large map of what looked to be the southeastern United States. Slowly, Joanna followed the others further into the room and she could see there were people present as well, busy painting new signs. No one noticed them until Rick said hello.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the five of them, though no one appeared too particularly upset or shocked at their sudden appearance. Joanna counted seven strangers in the room. One of them, a young man with dark hair and a grey jacket, tossed his paint brush down and sighed. "Well, I bet Albert is on perimeter watch." He strolled casually around the metal work tables until he was between Rick's group and his own. Joanna didn't fail to notice the gun holstered on his hip. "You here to rob us?"

Rick shook his head, "No." He took a few steps forward, putting his own gun back its holster. "We wanted to see you before you saw us." To Joanna, something didn't feel right about the strange place so she kept her gun firmly in her hand.

The man nodded his head. "Makes sense. Usually we do this where the tracks meet but," he started to stroll forward again. "Welcome to Terminus," he declared with his arms wide. "I'm Gareth. Looks like you've been on the road for a good bit." His brown eyes scanned over the group, taking in their appearance and the weapons. Including the one Joanna still held in her hand.

"Yeah, we have." Rick said, taking another step forward. "I'm Rick. That's Carl. Daryl. Joanna and Michonne." He nodded to each as he introduced them.

Gareth responded by giving them an awkward wave, one that strangely fit the situation. "You're nervous! I get it. We were all the same way." He took more steps forward. "We came here for sanctuary. Is that what you're here for?"

Again, Rick nodded. "Yes."

"Good. You've found it. Hey, Alex!" Gareth turned around to look at the group behind him. A man of about the same age but with curlier hair and a red zipped up jacket walked towards them. "This isn't a pretty as the front," Gareth said turning back towards Rick. "We got nothing to hide but the welcome wagon is whole nicer." He said with a smile. "Alex'll take you, ask you a few questions. But first, we're gonna need to see everyone's weapons. If you could just lay them down in front of you."

For a moment no one moved until everyone in turn looked towards Rick for guidance. Joanna maintain a firm grip on her own gun. "Alright." Rick sighed after a few tense seconds. He took his gun from the holster and placed it on the ground. The others followed. Except for Joanna, who needed a little more nudging. When Gareth and Alex were looking at her, waiting, Rick raised an eyebrow. "Jo." It was demand, not a request. With a frown, Joanna lowered her gun to the ground.

Then, with the help of Alex, Gareth started to search of hidden weapons. It was a simple pat down so no one openly refused. Joanna felt naked without the gun in her hand, or even on her hip. She had the knife tucked safely away inside her boot but if things went bad quickly it wouldn't be much help.

A shadow falling over her pulled Joanna from her thoughts. "May I?" Gareth said, now standing in front of her. Without a word, Joanna lifted her arms like she was at the airport and focused on a spot behind the man's head as Gareth patted her down. His hands were quick and soft as the checked the places where a weapon could be hidden. It wasn't until after he was finished that Joanna realized she had been holding her breath.

But the man lingered in front of her. "Can I ask what happened to you?" He asked softly, nodding towards the bruises on her neck.

Joanna wasn't sure if she should answer. He was a stranger and it was none of his business. And she hadn't spoken in almost two days and she didn't want her first words to be about that night. So, she settled on being vague. "Strange men happened." Joanna said softly so only Gareth could hear. She removed her eyes from the back wall and looked at the man as he simply nodded at her answer and back away, leaving them to collect their weapons and for Alex to take them on the welcome tour.


	2. Chapter 2

Joanna followed her group and the man named Alex out the nearest door, leaving behind Gareth and the other sign makers. Together, they turned the corner and walked into a concrete courtyard that been turned into a kind of patio space. Makeshift tables with chairs and umbrellas were placed in the center and garden boxes and clay flowerpots lined the perimeter. Alex lead them over to an older woman who was manning a large industrial grill. The smell of cooked meat filled Joanna's nose, causing her stomach to give a loud rumble. She hadn't been this hungry since the winter after the farm. She took a few steps away from the grill when they came to a stop in front of it, not wanting to seem to weak and eager for food. "Heard you came in the backdoor. Smart. You'll fit right in here." The woman said, turning a piece of meat.

As the others began to talk to Alex and the woman, Joanna turned her attention to the others present in the yard. She counted five others, beside the woman and Alex. All were lounging at a table, doing nothing. And all appeared to be armed with a handgun hanging off their hips. A man in riot guard reminded her of the ones they had found at the prison. An orange backpack looked very much like one of Glenn's. Joanna has ready to declare the similarities as a product of nostalgia. She missed the others. She didn't even know if they were alive or dead. But then she saw a girl at the furthest table wearing a very familiar poncho. The ugly thing Daryl use to wear.

"Rick." She whispered to the man in front of her. She nodded towards the poncho and Joanna could see his shoulders become more tense. He placed his hand back on his gun and Joanna did the same. Rick continued to scan the others while Joanna took more steps back, ready to leave Terminus the same way they came in.

Suddenly, Rick was marching forward with his gun out of the holster. Time seemed to slow as Rick grabbed a watch out of Alex's pocket before grabbing him around the neck and putting the gun to Alex's head. Everyone in the courtyard reacted immediately, each pulling their weapons and pointing it at the opposing party. Motion on the roof above them caught Joanna's attention, forcing her eyes upward. There was a man on the roof, pointing a large automatic rifle in Rick and Alex's direction. Joanna aimed her own gun at the sniper, hoping she would be able to kill him with one of three bullets she had left.

Rick's harsh voice floated over the courtyard. "Where'd you get this watch?"

"Put down your weapons and I'll answer your questions." Alex's voice was defiant but shaky.

"Your sniper on the roof, how good of a shot is he?" Rick nodded towards the man above them. Joanna take a couple steps away from the building so she could get a better aim on the sniper.

Alex waved his free arm at the man. "Don't do anything! I have this! You just put it down." The sniper lowered his gun but remained on the roof, looking down at them.

"Where'd you get the watch?!" Rick growled.

"I got it off a dead one. I didn't think he'd need it."

"What about the riot gear? The poncho?" He nodded in the direction of the particular items.

"Got the riot gear off a dead cop. Found the poncho on a clothesline." Joanna wasn't sure when Gareth had appeared but he stood to her right, between her and the others. His gun was still in the holster and his hands were up, so Joanna settled on her keeping her own gun aimed at the would-be sniper. Gareth and Alex started bickering about something before Rick interrupted. The interaction reminded her of a pair of brothers.

"What's there left to say? You don't trust us anymore." Gareth said to Rick, raising his right hand a little higher. Joanna tried to keep her eyes on the man on the roof, but the situation occurring to her right seemed more important. With his back to her, Joanna wasn't sure of his facial expression but Gareth's body language seemed overly comfortable for her. Like her expected this situation to occur. "Rick, what do you want?" Gareth asked.

Rick tightened his hold on Alex. "Where are our people? You didn't answer the question." A shot rang out around them and Joanna saw Alex fall to the ground before she turned her eyes back to the sniper who had fired the shot. The man changed his aim towards Joanna who fired one shot before running to her left, away from the courtyard. More shots were fired and she could hear them hitting the concrete where her feet once were.

A sharp, warm pain spread through her shoulder, almost forcing Joanna to ground but she managed to stay upright and run into a brick warehouse via an unlocked door. She kept running down a dark, empty hallway. Gunshots continued to sound from outside. Joanna knew the others weren't behind her. They had ran forward while she ran back the way they were originally led. She was on her own. Again. Without thinking she opened the nearest door and walked in.

Joanna pulled the door closed behind her and sank to the floor, before not before knocking a dusty mop over. It was a broom closet. She was hiding in a broom closet. That night at the abandoned trunk had drained her emotionally and she had yet to recover. And now she had been shot in the shoulder. With a bit of pain, Joanna pulled her long sleeved shirt off to get a better look at the wound. It was dark but by touch she was able to tell that the bullet had just grazed her shoulder and traveled a couple inches down her back. From what she felt, the wound wasn't deep but she could feel blood staining both her probing hand and tank top. Ignoring the pain and unable to bandage herself with her current resources, Joanna awkwardly slipped her shirt back on.

She couldn't keep doing this. Joanna was tired of fighting and running. She was tired of the dead and the living. They had lost so many people. Sophia. Dale. Shane. T-Dog. Lori. Andrea. Hershel. She didn't know about the others. Spending the rest of her life in the darkness of the closet appealed to her greatly. And she sat there for a long time before the weight of not knowing threatened to crush. The gunshots had stopped long ago and Joanna wasn't sure if they was a good thing. It could mean that the others had been caught or killed or that they had gotten away. Neither possibility really helped Joanna.

She needed to find out. And that wasn't going to happen by hiding in a closet next to mops and brooms. Quietly, she dug the knife from her boot and slipped it on her belt. With a bit of guilty feeling in her stomach, Joanna pulled herself to her feet and opened the door.


End file.
